Self-inking printing-stamp



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

8. H. SMITH. l i SELF INKING PRINTINGSTAMP.

810.288.874. Patented Nov. 20, 1888. 5

(No Model.) 2 sheets-#sheet .2".4

R. H. SMITH. SELF INKING PRINTING STAMP.

No. 288,674. Patented Nov. 2o, P15383.

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NITED STATES PATENT Grt-1er..

R. HALE SMITH, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SELF-INKING PRINTING-STAMP.

`SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 288,674, datedNovember 2D, 1883. Application tiled April 23, 1883. (No model.)

To all w/Lom t may concern..-

Be itknown that I, R. HALESMITH, of Springfield, in the county or'Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Self-Inking Printing-Stamps, of which the following is adescription and specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a self-inking printing-stamp,from which impressions may be made'rapidly, and whose successiveimpressions will register correctly, or will all be made in, exactly thesame relative position on different sheets of paper, if

desired, and whose printing-face is always held inthe same plane orparallel planes during all its movements; and I accomplish this by themechanism substantially as hereinafter described, and illustrated in theaccompany- 'ing drawings, in which-H Figure I is a perspective view of aself-inking printing-stamp made according to my invention,` showing thestamp in position on the inking-pad when not in use. elevation of thesame, illustrating the position of the different parts of the stamp whenbeing used in making an imprint. Fig. III is a modification, showingthestamp as adapted to print upon paper or other matter placed on the tableor on the plane upon which the stamp is 'placed or fixed. Fig. IV is atransverse section through the stamp-head, die-holder, and die, -onavertical plane midway its length. Fig. V is a transverse sectionthrough the ink pad and reservoir, on a vertical plane midway itslength. Fig. VI is a plan view of a die-block provided with a mortise orreceptacle to contain type for dating or other purposes. Fig.

VII is a transverse section of the same at a point midway its length.Fig. VIII is a side view of a spring adapted to be secured in themortise in the die-block to hold the type in position therein.

In the drawings, 19 represents the base of the stamp, supporting anupright, 2, at"`the 'rear end, from which extend the horizontal 'arms3-one at each end; and between these i arms, and preferablycast solidtherewith, is

the ink-reservoir 25, (shown in section in Fig. V,) containing anink-cushion, 26,which may be made of any suitable material-a felt fabricbeing quite suitable-and upon this cushion Fig. II is a side rests anink-pad, 17 ,which consists of a metal or other plate having flatparallel sides, andcovered with any textile fabric-such as silk, orother suitable material-on both its sides, so that this ink-pad may lieupon the cushion 26 with either side uppermost, upon which the stamprests when not in use, and has agood and iirm bearing thereon at allpoints. The base 19, together with the upright 2 and arms 3, forms whatis known in the art as the stand,77 the latter constituting all of thelower and immovable portion ofthe stamp.

Two arms, 50ne on each side-are pivoted or hinged at one end tothe upperend of the upright 2, or to the upper rear portion of the stand, as at4, and at the other end are pivoted at 6 to the bar 7, the latter beingiixedto the stamp-head 8. This stamp-head is provided at its lower edge,on the back side, with a retaining-lug, 23, which is beveled or inclinedon the inner side, and at the opposite or front edge is pivoted at 12 adetent, 13, whose lower edge or end extends inward and beneath the frontedge of the stamp -h ead, and is held in that position by a spring, 14,secured to the front side of the stamp-head, and pressing outwardagainst the detent, as shown in Figs. II and IV.

This stamp -head Sis adapted to receive a typei case, 15, which I makeof rectangular form, and hollow or open from the lower side, so that aseries of lines or" type, 36, may be set up in this case, and besecured,preferably, by screws 37, to indicate or make an impression ofany desiredprintedmatter-such as business-cards, ctc. A recess, 28, ismade in each edge of this typecase, and the retaining-lugl-23 is made tojust t said recess by pressing in the upper end of the detent 13,forcing out its lowerend, placing the case in position,with theretaininglug in its recess 28 in the edge of the case, and releasing thedetent and allowing its lower end to enter the recess again. Vhen thusinserted into place, it is held ,up rmlyagainst the lower side of thestamp-head by the dovetailed form of the lug 23 `and detent 13 at itslower end, and is also prevented from moving longitudinally by the endsof the recess impinging against the ends of the lug 23 on one side oragainst the detent on the other.

The case 15, containing the type, may be easily and quickly removed atany time, and,

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if desired, a portion or the whole of the type changed and the easequickly replaced by merely pressing in the detent 13.

I use, preferably, type having the body or shank made of metal, with theprinting-face made of rubber and secured to the end of the body, asbeing well adapted to set up any desired printing-matter in the case 15.Instead of using the case, however, and setting the type up therein forprinted matter; I may use a block, 29, made of wood, hard rubber, or anyother suitable material, having similar recesses, 28, made in its edgesas are made in the edges of the case I5, to receive the retaining-lug 23on one edge and the lower end of the detent 13 on the other edge, and Imake .an elongated mortise, 3l, through this block,

as shown in Figs. VI and VII, with a spring, 30, secured therein, sothat type to indicate any dating-matter may be inserted into thismortise and there held securely by the pressure of said spring againstthe type. This spring may havea rib or elongated projection, as at 32,t0 engage in the Anick or cavity ordinarily made in the body of thetype,to hold the latter more securely in place.'

It is evident that a spring of any desired form may be used to securethe type in position; but by the use of that just above described it iseasy vto make any change of type desired, as, to remove either of thetype and insert another, in changing the date, it is only necessary toremove the block from the stamphead, and,with the type to be inserted,press agains'tthe top ofthe one to be removed, forcing out the latterand forcing in the other to take its place.

Any permanent die may be fixed to the lower face of the block, and atype-retaining spring be secured in the mortise, so that the movabletype therein shall be held with their printing-faces in the same planewith the printing-faces of the characters on the permanent die.

The yoke 9 is pivoted or hinged at 50 to the ends of the horizontal arms3, forming a portion of the stand, and is also hinged or pivoted at 10to the stamp-head 8 at both .ends of the latter, and I secure a spring,as 21, to the rod or pivot 50, whiehhinges the yoke tothe .front ends ofthe arms 3, by means of which spring the stamp-head is moved back fromits position when making the imprint between the arms of the yoke to itsposition on the ink-pad 17, and is firmly held there.

The upper part ofthe yoke 9, at B in Figs.

I and II, serves as a hand-piece by which to move the stamp-head inbringing it over into positiony upon the bed 20, or paper placedthereon, to make an imprint. This bed 20 is made upon a part of the base19, which may extend forward for that purpose, and the upperface of thisbed 20 is somewhat lower than the horizontal plane of the lower part ofthe arms 3, so that paper may be placed upon the bed and be movedbeneath the arms and against the upright 2, and if it is desired to makea series of impressions each upon aseparate paper and each imprint atthe same relative position on its paper, gages may be attached so as tobe adjusted to any desired distance from the bed at the side and end tocontrol the position of the paper on the bed.

' As the movement of the stamp-head 8, with the printing-charactersattached,is exactly the same at each imprint made, it is evident thatwith gages secured as above described the suecessive impressions on aseries of papers may all be made exactly alike, and each made in exactlythe same relative position on the paper.

In the modification shown in Fig. III, Il use the knob 27 as ahand-piece, and it will be seen that with this stamp a package or pileof papers may be laid on the table to which the stamp is secured,.and infront of the latter, and the whole stamped in rapid succession, each onebeing quickly removed from the pile when stamped. Y

By providing different type cases 15, or blocks, each having therecesses 28 therein, and each containing different printing-matter, anyone of them may be quickly removed from the stamp-head by pressing onthe detent 18, and another is as quickly inserted into place, and byusing the metal-bodied type any desired printing-matter may be set up inthe case 15 when the latter is removed from the stamp-head.

Inasmuch as the upright portion 2 with the arms 3 together serve thepurpose of partially or wholly supporting allv the essential and workingparts of the stamp, and are stationary, I denominate this portion astand In the vmodification shown in Fig. III the yoke 9 is hinged at apoint lower on the stand, because, as no impression-bed is required tobe made on the base, both the yoke 9 and the arms 5 may be hinged at apoint lower even than is shown in Fig. III, the yoke in that case beinghinged lower than the arms 5.

In order to make the spring 2l most effective, I make one or both endsofthe rod or shaft prismatic in form, to t a hole of corresponding formin the lower end of the yoke 9, as shown in Figs. I, II, and III, andbend the spring around a screw or pin, 5l, fixed in said rod, as shownin Fig. V, so that when the spring is applied, and the shaft and yokeare in place, the ends of the spring have a bearing against thereservoir 25, or against any other convenient part of the stamp, and thetension of the spring operates to move the yoke into a position over theink pad and reservoir.

It will be seen that the ink-pad 17, being made with both sides alikeand parallel, and resting upon the saturating-cushion 26, is reversible,and may be used with either side uppermost to ink theprinting-characters secured tothe stamp-head. rIhe cushion 26 may haveany desired amount of ink applied thereto,

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and both sides of the'ink-pad are applied to rated, and the latter maybe used with one side uppermost as long as the printing-characters ofthe stamp are inked thereby sufciently to make a good impression; andwhen this ceases `to be the case, the ink-pad may, by its trunnions '18,one at each end, be reversed to bring the lower side uppermost, and thisside used to ink with, and' this operation may be repeated as often asmay be required, the siniple reversal of the pad serving to supply freshink.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. In aself-inking printing-stamp, the com-` bination, with the stand, of ayoke, `9, pivoted to said stand, a stamp-head adapted to hold a ydie-block containing printing-characters, and pivoted in said yoke toswing between its arms,

3. In a self-inking printing-stamp, the combination of a die-blockadapted to contain printing-characters, and provided with a recess, 28,on two opposite edges thereof, and the stamp -head provided with aretaining-lug, 23, on one side, which is beveled on the inner side, anda springactuated detent, 13, whose lower end inclines inward, saidretaining-lug and detent being adapted to fit the recesses in thedie-block, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a printing-stamp, a printing die-block having a vertical hole ormortise made entirely through it to permit printing-type to be passedthrough said mortise or hole from one side of the block to the other, incombination with a sheet-metal spring secured in the inortise andengaging in a cavity or recess made in each type-body, whereby said typeare'held in place in the m ortise, substantially as described.

R. HALE SMITH.

Vitnesses:

T. A. CURTIS, CHAs. H. Woon.

